KND: A New Beginning
by pennywhistle444
Summary: Takes place shortly after Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. As the bond between Numbuhs 2 and 5 deepens, they both get unexpectedly promoted to new positions. Numbuh 5 becomes supreme leader, and Numbuh 2 reluctantly takes over what's left of Sector V. His skills are put to the test as him and his team deal with enemies both old and new. (Chapter 6 now revised and extended)
1. Chapter 1

"I'll be with you. Even if I'm a million-trillion miles away... old friend..."

These words spoken by Nigel Uno echoed loudly in the depressed mind of Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. A.K.A Numbuh 2. It was over two months since Nigel left the legendary Sector V to join the Galactic Kids Next Door. They say time heals all wounds, but with all the time that had gone by, Hoagie wasn't so sure that that was even true. Over time, Kuki, Wally, and even Abby were slowly getting back to their old selves. Sure, they missed Nigel every bit as much as Hoagie did, but they seemed to be finally moving on. Hoagie on the other hand, had barely even spoke since that eventful night. Every evening he would go out on a balcony high in the treehouse and just stare at the sky and the countless stars, missing his old friend, while Abby grew increasingly concerned.

"Man, this ain't like him. He just doesn't seem to be snapping out of it. Maybe Numbuh 5 better go check on the poor guy." Abby said to herself as she slowly walked toward her sulking friend.

"Hey... whacha doin' out here?"

No answer.

"Why don't you come inside and watch some TV with us or something?"

Still no answer.

"Come on Numbuh 2, say something! Numbuh 5's worried about you! You haven't even cracked a single lame joke in weeks!"

"What do you care? You'd just get mad and hit me anyway." Hoagie finally replied.

"Well I'd take that over this quiet business!"

"Really?" Hoagie said as he perked up slightly.

"Uh... that's beside the point! Numbuh 5's just happy to hear you speak again. She was beginning to think you lost your voice or something." Upon hearing Abby's words, Hoagie smiled ever-so-slightly.

"I'm sorry if I've been worrying you... it's just that... oh never mind." Hoagie said as his frown returned.

"No no, keep going!" Abby begged, not wanting Hoagie to go silent again.

"Oh... alright. It's just that... well... I still can't believe Nigel just went and left us! I thought we meant more to him than anything! And then he just decides to run off to outer space without even telling us!! We're darn lucky I overheard the science nerds talking about it, otherwise we wouldn't have had a chance to say goodbye! Heck, we wouldn't even know where he is right now! He was my best friend since kindergarten; we were always like brothers! And now he's gone, and I'll never see him again!"

"Look Hoagie, I know it's painful, but you're not the only one who's upset about this. You know, I never wanted to lead this sector again after the incident with Numbuh 1 and the Delightful Children, which was all my fault! But here I am anyway, doing what I've always avoided. And I've been worried sick about possibly making another damaging mistake that one of you would have to live with. I just don't want another burden like that on my conscience."

Feeling bad, Hoagie put his hand on Abby's shoulder. "It's ok Abby, don't feel bad, Nigel never blamed you for that. Sometimes things just happen that you have no control over. Pffft, who am I to say that when I've been moping like this for the last two months!"

Not knowing what else to say, the two just stood there in a long pause before Abby finally broke the silence.

"Maybe we could do something fun that would take our minds off of all this."

Hoagie thought about it for a moment, then got an idea. "I know, how about flying? That's a lot of fun! It might be just what we need!"

"Not exactly what Numbuh 5 had in mind; she was thinking we could have some milkshakes and maybe shoot some pool, but what the heck. Whatever will make you happy."

"Awesome! Stay there, I'll be right back!" Hoagie excitedly ran into his room and grabbed two flying contraptions he had built; one made of a lawnmower motor with tennis rackets as wings for himself, and the other made of a backpack with jet-propelled aerosol cans at the ends of the wings for Abby. He then returned and handed her the contraption.

"So Numbuh 2, where exactly are we going anyway?"

"We don't need a destination. When you're flying, you're free! There are no boundaries! In fact, why don't we see who can make it up to the clouds first?!"

"Ha ha, you're on baby!"

And the two of them were off to the skies. The city below them got smaller and smaller as they continued their little race.

"WHOO!! I win!" Hoagie shouted as he shot through a cloud. "Numbuh 5? Where'd ya go?"

"Ha ha! You too slow sucka!" Abby shouted from a distance. Before long, they were playing their own little game which was a sort of aerial tag mixed with hide-and-seek, weaving around, between, and even through the clouds as they playfully chased each other. After a while, they finally slowed down and noticed how much closer to the stars they were.

"Isn't it beautiful up here Numbuh 5? You know, there's just nothing in this world like flying. When I'm up here in the sky, it just feels so open... so infinite, like anything's possible! Being high above the world below makes everything else seem so small and insignificant in comparison. It's definitely the best stress reliever in existence. And the stars are so huge and bright up here since we're so far above all the lights down on the ground. And see that star over there that's bigger and brighter than all the others? According to my star map, that's Jupiter. Maybe Numbuh 1 is there fighting evil alien adults right now! And they're probably all big, purple and slimy with squiggly antennas and 27 eyes!" Hoagie said playfully as Abby giggled slightly. "Oh my gosh, did you... you did didn't you?! You laughed! I knew it! You think I'm funny!"

"Uh... just a little."

"Really? Just a little?"

"Ah whatever. Just don't let it go to your head."

After a brief and somewhat awkward pause, Hoagie spoke up again.

"Hey, thanks for everything tonight. Because of you, I'm finally starting to feel like myself again."

"No problem. Numbuh 5's feeling a little better herself. It's still not the same without Numbuh 1, but I think we'll be just fine. And you know, this actually was a lot of fun. I'm beginning to see why you love flying so much. Well, it's getting pretty late, think we should head back?"

"Yeah, it's been fun, but I'm ready to crash like a buggy iPhone app."

"Hey, what did I say earlier? Don't make me use the hat!"

"Alright alright, sheesh! Let's go!"

The two then headed back to the treehouse. They exchanged good-nights, and went off to their rooms to prepare for a cozy night's sleep. But meanwhile over in the Delightful Mansion, something not so cozy was taking place. Father was still furious about the recent disappearance of his Delightful Children, and of course Nigel as well.

"I suppose you understand why you are here, my apprentice?" Father said to a figure in the shadows which was soon revealed to be Abby's evil teen sister Cree Lincoln.

"Not exactly. It is short notice" Cree replied.

"You've been my apprentice for quite some time now, and I believe the time has finally come. You are now ready to help me with some very important matters. Make me proud." Father said as he handed a mysterious box to Cree. The two laughed evilly about their dark plans.

TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Sometimes All We Need Is a Little Push

It was the next morning, and in the KND treehouse, Abby was in the process of making a very important decision as the others enjoyed their Rainbow Munchies. Once they finished their breakfast, Abby called them into the briefing room for a meeting.

"As you all know, we've been without an official second in command operative since Numbuh 1 left, but we can't keep going without. Numbuh 5 needs to know that if something happens to her, there's someone who can take charge and keep this team in line."

Wally started getting excited and fidgeting in his seat. "Oh boy oh boy! Finally! The chance I've been waiting for!" He thought to himself.

"Numbuh 5's been thinking about it all morning, and has made a decision. Our new second in command is..."

Wally was so excited he felt like he was going to explode.

"Numbuh 2!"

"WHAT??!! Now why in the name of living crud would you pick him?! Have you forgotten about the time Numbuh 1 went away and we had to build that cruddy clam cannon? I did all the work while you lazybutts did nothing but sleep! I didn't see Numbuh 2 or anyone else taking the job very seriously!"

"That was because you hadn't let us sleep for days, smart-aleck! But it doesn't matter, Numbuh 5's mind is made up. So quit your whining!"

Wally just pouted with his arms crossed, grumbling to himself. Then finally, Hoagie spoke up.

"Uh, Numbuh 5, I'm not so sure about this. I've never been in any kind of command before. I don't know how to be a leader. I just don't think I'm right for this."

"Let me tell you something Numbuh 2. Yes, it's tough at times, and there is a lot of strategic planning involved, but I know from experience, that the most important part of being a leader is looking out for your friends. I learned that from Numbuh 1. Do you think you can do that?"

"I... I'll do the best I can captain." Hoagie replied, still not sure of himself.

"You'll do just fine baby." Abby said as she smiled reassuringly at Hoagie. He smiled back, feeling just a tiny bit more confident about his new position.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, Numbuh 5 was also thinking we ought to do something fun tonight. It's been quite a while since we've done anything fun as a group, and I heard that the newly rebuilt Point is having a kids' skating . Who wants to go?"

Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 all cheered happily.

"Alright then, we leave . I just hope they'll let us in the place after that mustard incident."

And so, that evening the four youngsters headed up to the skating rink they had once destroyed, feeling nostalgic and even joking about that disastrous mission. Thankfully, they were able to get in without being recognized since there were new employees working that night. But inside, there was a very unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

"Well well well, it's been a while since I've seen you old farts around!" Said the arrogant voice of Harvey McKenzie, A.K.A Numbuh 363. "Don't you guys think you're a bit OLD to be at a kids' event?"

"Now listen here you little brat! I suggest you stop with the insults, before I punch your cruddy lights out!!" Wally shouted as he drew up his right sleeve.

"Just ignore him and let's go." Hoagie said as he nudged Wally away. Hoagie then looked back at Harvey, who was staring at him with an unpleasantly devilish grin. Hoagie just flashed him a death glare and walked away to catch up with the others.

"Oooooh, this looks like so much fun! Doesn't it Waaaaaalllyy?!" Said an overexcited Kuki.

"Yeah, sure." Wally replied, still angry about everything.

"Well come on silly! Let's go get our skates!" Shouted Kuki as she dragged Wally away by the hand. That left just Hoagie and Abby.

"Wow, this place looks so different now!" Hoagie said in amazement as he looked around. "I'm actually kinda glad we destroyed the old one!" The new Point was indeed very different from the old. It was bigger, and had a lot more light projections on the floor and walls, and even some space themed black light designs on the carpets. The skating room was dark inside, lit only by a black light, which allowed the bright and colorful projections to stand out even more.

"So, uh, should we go get our skates and head in there?" Hoagie asked.

"You go on ahead. Numbuh 5's gonna go get a soda first."

"Oh, ok then."

Once Abby left, Hoagie just sat at a table debating whether to go get fitted for skates, or get a snack first. As he thought about it, he started watching all the skaters and noticed that they were all paired up. Even Wally had warmed up to the idea and was happily skating alongside Kuki. Just then, the KND News anchor known as Numbuh 10 entered the room, not to do a news interview, but simply to enjoy her night off. And Hoagie, being the flirt that he was, just had to ask her to skate with him.

"Hey gorgeous, wanna skate with me?" Hoagie said while trying to act cool. He leaned on to the backrest of a chair, only for it to fall over, taking him with it. Numbuh 10 laughed hysterically.

"Me? Skate with a fat clumsy dork like you?! Puh-leez! In your dreams loser!"

Numbuh 10's harsh words felt like a knife going through Hoagie's heart. This was far from the first time he had been rejected by a girl, and normally he would just brush it off as no big deal. But now it was finally starting to get to him considering the fragile state he had been in lately. He was always trying to act cool around girls, but it just never worked. He went back to his seat and rested his head on the tabletop. Then Abby finally returned.

"Oooo wee, the line to the snack bar sure was long and... what's the matter with you? Ain't you gonna skate?"

"Nah, I don't think so."

"And why not?"

"Cuz, I don't have a partner."

"You do now."

Hoagie looked up and saw Abby holding her hand out to him. He awkwardly hesitated for a moment before taking her hand and going with her to get skates. Then they went to join the other kids. On the carpeted floor leading to the rink, Hoagie was a little wobbly on his skates, but managed to stay on his feet. But as soon as he made it to the hardwood floor, he immediately lost all control and fell flat on his belly for the second time that night. He noticed a few kids laughing at him.

"Oh, don't worry about them." Said Abby as she helped him up. "Just live in the moment and enjoy yourself." A moment later, the DJ started a fast paced pop song.

As the music played, Hoagie struggled to keep up with Abby. He kept losing his balance, getting back up, and then falling again. Eventually he just gave up and decided to skate the perimeter of the rink with his hands against the wall for balance.

"Hey Numbuh 2, whatchu doin' over here?"

"Just trying not to whoa whuh AAAAHH!! ...ow."

"Here, let Numbuh 5 help ya."

Abby helped Hoagie up, then put her arm around him to help him keep his balance. He then put an arm around her and carefully started to skate next to her. He couldn't believe she was willing to drag him along instead of just going off and doing her own thing like she usually did. But she was enjoying the moment more than he was aware of.

Finally, Abby let go of Hoagie. He panicked for a moment and almost fell. But once he regained his composure, he quickly realized he was starting to get the hang of it. He was finally skating on his own, and he couldn't have been happier. But suddenly, Harvey came up behind him and purposely shoved into him, causing him to lose his footing.

But just before he hit the floor, Abby caught him and helped him regain his balance.

Upon seeing this, Harvey just sneered at them, angry that his spiteful little plan to knock Hoagie flat on his face failed. He then turned to his teammates Lee and Sonia.

"Come on guys, we're leaving this joint!"

"But-"

"No buts! I'm in charge here! So move it!"

Sector W then left. A couple hours later, it was about , and after skating and stuffing themselves with lots of nachos and soda, Sector V called it a night and started heading home. Abby, Kuki and Wally were all chatting about how good the food there was and etc, but Hoagie had something else on his mind.

"Did Numbuh 5 skate with me because she wanted to, or just because she felt sorry for me?"

Hoagie got so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that the others had gotten way ahead of him. Suddenly, he got the eerie feeling that he was being watched. He cautiously looked around and then noticed a strange shadow figure staring at him from up in a tree. Feeling very nervous and not knowing where his friends were, he turned and ran until he was out of breath. He thought he had escaped, that is, until he looked up and saw that same shadow figure standing only about ten feet away from him. Going from nervous to terrified, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his M.U.S.K.E.T., aiming it at the figure. The figure then started to slowly walk closer to him.

"Wh-wh-what do y-you want?"

The figure didn't respond.

"Seriously, tell me what you want or go away!"

"Numbuh 2! Where are you?" He suddenly heard Kuki's voice say from a distance. He turned and ran toward where her voice was coming from, and found his teammates who were looking for him.

"Well where the crud have you been? We've been lookin' all over the flippin' place for ya!" Said a rather annoyed Wally.

"Heh heh, sorry guys, I got a little lost. And there was this weird shadow person thing that was following me around! And it looked like it was gonna attack me or something! You guys found me just in time! I thought I was a goner!"

"Ah relax Numbuh 2! It was probably just some cruddy teenager tryin' to scare ya!"

"Yeah, you're probably right... I hope. Let's get out of here."

As Sector V returned to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S, the shadow figure, who was still there, watched as they left. The figure then pulled out a communicator device and called someone, speaking in a rather distorted voice.

"Sorry boss, but I haven't got any information yet. I tried to capture one of them while he was alone so I could interrogate him, but he got away."

"Don't worry about capturing any of them. Just stay up close and out of sight. Sooner or later, you're bound to hear what we need to know." Said the voice on the other side of the line.

TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The First Cut is the Deepest

CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED. CONTINUING TRANSMISSION...

Throughout the following week, things had been going well for sector V, aside from having to deal with a lot of taunting from Harvey who took it upon himself to follow them around and try to interfere with their missions. And even though it wasn't easy, the group did their best to ignore him. Although there were a few times where they had to stop Wally from punching Harvey. But despite the hectic times, the group felt like things were finally getting back to normal. They even felt like they were growing a bit closer as friends. And little by little, Hoagie was warming up to being second in command. Whether Abby felt frazzled, or Kuki and Wally got into one of their little arguments in the middle of a mission, he would do whatever he could to help lighten the load on their current leader and keep the team functioning like a well oiled machine. One thing that was also helping to keep both Hoagie and Abby sane, was poking fun at Wally, who was still trying and failing to admit his feelings to a certain someone, and this particular day was no exception.

"Kuki, there's something... I uh..."

Meanwhile...

"Oh jeez, he's at it again! Hey Numbuh 2, get in here! You're missing this!"

"Ok ok, I'm coming! Sheesh! Alright, what's up?"

"Loverboy's tryin' to say a few certain words to Numbuh 3 again!"

"Oooh, this is gonna take a while, should I get us some popcorn?"

Meanwhile...

"What I'm really trying to say is..."

"Yes Wally?"

Meanwhile...

"Oh Numbuh 5, I think he's gonna say it this time!"

"Nah, he'll just chicken out like he always does!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure, five bucks says he wimps out again!"

"You're on!"

Meanwhile...

"The truth is Kuki, I... love... you! Tube videos! Yeah, I love YouTube videos!!"

Meanwhile...

"AAAAHHHHGGGGHHHH!!!! WHAT??!!"

"HA HA HA HEE HEE!! Tol'ja!... well?"

"What?"

"You know what! Now pay up baby!"

"Ugh fine! Here!"

"Aw, don't be such a sore loser!"

"Hmph! There goes my Yipper card money."

Suddenly, the Sooper-Double-Triple-Emergency-Alert went off.

"Uh oh, Numbuh 5 better go see what's going on. You stay here."

Abby ran into a room with a huge TV monitor in the center, and pressed a large red button to answer the incoming call. She was then greeted by Numbuh 362.

"Numbuh 5, I need you to come to the moonbase immediately. There's something very important I want to discuss with you, preferably in private."

"Alright, Numbuh 5 will be right up."

She let her teammates know about the situation, put Numbuh 2 temporarily in charge, then boarded the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Once she got to the moonbase, she was led by Numbuh 86 to Numbuh 362's office.

"Numbuh 5! Glad you could make it."

"Numbuh 362 sir! What do you need to discuss?"

"The situation with the operatives who have gone missing. For the last three months, I, along with the rest of global command, have been investigating the sudden disappearances of Numbuhs 274, Infinity, 74.239, and most of all, Numbuh 1, but to absolutely no avail. I just don't understand, it's like they've all ran off to another planet or something."

Abby felt a little nervous considering the fact that Numbuh 362 was actually right, at least in the case of Numbuh 1. She wished so much that she could just tell her superior what happened, but she knew she couldn't. After all, her and the rest of Sector V were never supposed to know about the Galactic Kids Next Door in the first place.

"The point is, I feel that this is my biggest failure as a supreme leader. I feel responsible for not only the disappearances, but also the failure to find those operatives. So I am stepping down from my position as supreme leader. That way I'll be free to find a way to right my wrongs. I have also decided to skip the game of tag after that incident with Father last time I stepped down. With everything that's been going on, I didn't want to risk something like that happening again, or someone unqualified like Numbuh 13 getting the position. I have already chosen my successor... and... it's you."

"What?! Look, with all due respect, I have to decline! I have Sector V to take care of!"

"I know, but I really need to leave this job in good hands, the hands of someone I can trust. And who better than the Leader of the legendary Sector V?"

Meanwhile back at the treehouse, Kuki was watching Wally and Hoagie play a game of Street Fighter, and Hoagie was winning by a landslide.

"Yay! Get him Numbuh 2!"

"Hey! What the crud are ya rootin' for him for?!"

"Well, he is winning."

Then Wally heard "KO!" on the TV.

"HA HA, YES!! I WIN AGAIN!! Not so tough in the video game world, are ya Numbuh 4?"

"Oh shut up!"

"Aw, don't be such a sore loser!"

At that same moment, they heard the S.C.A.M.P.E.R landing in the treehouse hangar. Abby was back, and the others were anxious to know what the emergency meeting was about.

"So, how did it go Numbuh 5?"

"Not good Numbuh 2. I need all of you to come to the meeting room right away."

Once everyone was gathered together, Abby proceeded to give her friends the bad news.

"Alright, Numbuh 5's just gonna tell you guys straight up. Numbuh 362 has resigned. She feels responsible for all the operative disappearances, and has personally chosen someone to take her place. And... unfortunately... that someone is me."

"WHAT??!!" Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 shouted in unison.

"You can't do this! You're OUR leader for crud's sake! Wasn't there some way you could have talked her into picking somebody else?" Wally shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry Numbuh 4, but her mind was made up."

"I don't give a Rainbow Monkey's butt! We need you a whole lot more! It was bad enough Numbuh 1 didn't care about us anymore, now you don't either?!"

"It's not that way Wally! This wasn't my choice! But drastic times call for drastic measures. This is an extremely important position, and Numbuh 362 is counting on me. There's no turning back now."

"Well, who's gonna lead us then?"

Abby froze, and noticed that Hoagie wasn't in the meeting room anymore. He had left while Abby and Wally were in the middle of their argument.

"Numbuh 5 will get back to you on that. First she needs to find Numbuh 2."

Abby had a pretty good guess of where he would be, and sure enough, that's exactly where she found him. It was the same place where she has cheered him up when he was upset about Nigel. She slowly approached him, not knowing what to expect.

"Look Numbuh 2, I know what you're thinking, and I'm really sorry it had to be this way."

"I know it wasn't your choice and that you really need to do this, but I still don't want you to leave us. I'm really gonna miss you, and you're the only one I can really talk to."

Abby was relieved that Hoagie wasn't angry at her, but it still didn't help her feel much better about the situation.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but look at it this way, it's true you may never see Numbuh 1 again, but at least you guys can still see me every now and then up on the moonbase, or during certain missions, so you're not losing me entirely."

"I know, but it still won't be the same without you here. After all, who's gonna pick on Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 with me?" Hoagie said as he managed to crack a small smile.

"Hee hee, I guess you'll just have to tease 'em even more to make up!"

"Heh heh, yeah."

They both paused for a moment before Abby decided that there was something she couldn't put off any longer.

"Hey, since Numbuh 5's leaving the sector, and you're second in command, you know what that means right?"

Hoagie froze with a feeling of dread creeping into the pit of his stomach as Abby took Nigel's old sunglasses off the top of her hat and held them out to him.

"It means you're in charge now."

"No no no no, unh uh, no way, absolutely not! I can't do it!"

"But who else could? Numbuh 3's not serious enough, and Numbuh 4... well... do I even need to explain? The truth is, you're the only one left that I can trust. I know you've got it in you. After all, you came up with that brilliant plan when Numbuh 1 didn't show up for that mission at the Villains Choice Awards, and it was a huge success! With ideas like that, I'm sure you'll be a great leader."

Hoagie was so touched by Abby's words that he slowly held out his hands allowing her to place the sunglasses into them. He still felt very reluctant, but knowing that Abby actually had faith in him gave him just enough motivation to at least give leadership a try. He couldn't say no now. He looked at the sunglasses for a moment, thinking about the big shoes he had to fill, then slowly reached up and pulled off his signature aviator hat and flying goggles, revealing his brown eyes and fluffy auburn hair.

"Well, I won't be needing these anymore."

"How come?"

"You know, leaders don't get to pilot their own ships and stuff."

"Numbuh 5's about to be in charge right? So who's to say she can't make an exception for a certain someone?"

"Really? You'd change a rule for me?"

"Of course. Numbuh 5 wouldn't want you to have to give up what you love most."

"Aww, heh, thanks. You're the best! You can keep the hat though, just a little something to remember me by."

"Well, in that case... here."

"No no, I couldn't take your favorite hat!"

"Just take it fool!"

"Okay okay!... hmph, you know, I'm actually a little afraid of this thing, but thanks."

"Don't mention it. By the way, the big ceremony is later today. You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Nice to know. And good luck Hoagie. Take care of them."

At that moment, Hoagie leaned forward, embracing Abby in a tight hug. He thought for sure she would push him away and then smack him over the head, but instead she returned the embrace just as tightly. Once they separated, Abby said one last goodbye, then packed up her most important belongings and said goodbye to Kuki and Wally before going back to the moonbase to prepare for her inauguration ceremony. And just as promised, Hoagie was there in the audience along with Kuki and Wally. Even though Wally had to be talked into coming, he was actually glad he did once the ceremony started. Abby even spotted them and gave them a quick salute to which the remaining members of Sector V saluted back. This moment was bittersweet for all four of them. And even though Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 really missed having 5 as a part of their team, they were also proud of her and knew she would be a great commander.

But meanwhile, a very uninvited guest was arriving on the moonbase as a stowaway in a KND ship. It was none other than the shadow spy that Hoagie had seen the night him and his friends went to The Point. The spy once again pulled out their communication device, and called their boss to report their mission status.

"I still haven't gotten any information out of Sector V, but I have just arrived on the moonbase, and I think I should be able to find out a lot more from the operatives who are stationed up here."

"Very well. Just don't stir up any attention... yet."

Later that evening back at the Sector V treehouse, Hoagie was once again staring at his old friend's sunglasses. He decided to try them on.

"Holy underwear! Who turned the lights out?! How could Numbuh 1 see with these things on all the time?!"

He took them back off and thought for a moment before placing them on the top of his head. He looked into a mirror and decided that it was a good look for him. He then picked up Abby's old cap and walked out to the balcony. He could clearly see the moonbase perched atop the rising moon which was huge and orange in the evening sky. He just stared up at the large space treehouse while hugging Abby's hat and happily thinking of her. Then Wally came along and interrupted the moment.

"Say, you look awful happy."

"Uh, no I don't!"

"Whatcha starin' at the moon for?"

"No reason!"

"And what's with the hat? Oh wait, I know! Hoagie and Abby, sittin' in a tree, q.w.g.t.f.p.k!"

"No! It's not like that at all!" Hoagie said while blushing.

"Yeah, sure!"

"Oh go cuddle with Kuki or something!"

"And why the crud would I do that?"

Hoagie just looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Ah whatever! I'm gonna go punch some stuff now. See ya later."

"See ya. Oh, and Numbuh 4?"

"What?"

"You owe me five bucks."

TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: A Team Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED. CONTINUING TRANSMISSION...

A few days passed without much of anything going on, which gave Hoagie a chance to at least try to come to grips with the curveball he had just been thrown. He would often lie awake at night, wondering if he would be even remotely as good as his predecessors, or if his sector was now doomed to fall apart and fade into the sunset. This led to him sleeping in increasingly later each day, and this morning was no exception.

"La la-la la-la! Rainbow Munchies, Rainbow Munchies, oh so very sweet and super crunchy!" Kuki sang as she poured a few bowls of the colorful and sugary cereal. "A bowl for you Wally, a bowl for my Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day Rainbow Monkey, a bowl for me, and a bowl for... Numbuh 2? Numbuh 2! Where are you?

"Ugh, he's probably sleepin' in again. I'll go get 'em."

Wally went into Hoagie's room, and sure enough, there was the chubby aeronaut, out cold on a shabby couch. He had been too tired the night before to even bother climbing the tall ladder that led to his airplane cockpit bed. Wally slowly and gently pulled the drool soaked pillow out from under Hoagie's head, and then hit him with it as hard as he could, jolting his drowsy leader awake.

"Hey! What gives?!"

"Get your big lazy butt up! Your cereal is getting soggy!"

"Ugh, fine."

The two boys went back to the kitchen where Kuki was waiting for them. Hoagie plopped down into his chair and absentmindedly began eating his cereal which had already turned into rainbow colored mush.

"Uh oh! Somebody's got a frowny face! Looks like you could use a hug from my I'm-Depressed-About-My-Pathetic-Life-Rainbow Monkey!"

"Please tell me you have an I'm-Gonna-Shut-Up-Now-Rainbow Monkey you can go play with or something?!" Wally snapped.

"It's ok guys, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." Hoagie finally said.

Suddenly, the Kids Next Door Sooper-Urgent-Message alert went off. Feeling a bit nervous, Hoagie went to see what was up. He pressed the big button on the giant TV monitor, and Numbuh 86 appeared on the screen.

"Attention Sector V! This is Numbuh 86! Various operatives have informed Global Command that soda supplies throughout your area have been turning up missing; most likely stolen by a teen or adult menace. The latest report just came from Lime Ricky's, which is right in your area. And since you personally have close ties with Ricky, Supreme Leader Numbuh 5 has assigned your sector to deal with the situation. It's just a shame that she's no longer leading your team. I mean come on, the mission would be so much more likely to be a success if a girl was handling it! Seriously, no disrespect to her, but Numbuh 5 should have picked Numbuh 3 to take over instead of you! Man, I thought Numbuh 1 was a stupid boy; you're even stupider yet!! HA HA!!"

"Oh yeah?! Well if I'm so "stupid", then explain how I'm able to design and build most of my sector's 2x4 tech weapons and vehicles! Explain how I was able to design our massive 60 story tree house! Or how I've singlehandedly saved my teammates from numerous villains! Oh, and let's not forget that we would all still be senior citizombies working in tapioca factories if it wasn't for one of my inventions. So, what do you have to say now?"

"Uh... well I uh... oh just get to work and find that soda thief! 86 out!"

Meanwhile, Kuki and Wally were still in the kitchen, dumping box after box of cereal all over the table just to find the toys buried inside. Then the mission alert went off.

"YAY!! Mission time!"

"Finally! Some grown-up butts to kick!"

Kuki and Wally jumped down a chute, slid down a long spiral slide, then ran through a hallway, through a big automatic door, then finally made it to the briefing room. They took their seats just before Hoagie entered the room on a rising floor platform just behind the leader's podium which now had a big red 2 painted on the front. He paused for a moment, thinking about how strange it felt to be up there giving the briefing instead of down below just listening to it. He felt a whole new sense of authority, and it felt pretty darn good, although deep down, he was still very nervous.

"Ok, well, uh... here's what's happening: somebody has been stealing soda from various locations, including our favorite soda bar, Lime Ricky's. Our mission is to go there, investigate the thefts, capture the thief, and get our soda back. So uh, let's go I guess."

Kuki and Wally just stared at him blankly.

"Oh right, heh heh. LET'S MOVE OUT!!"

And on Hoagie's cue, the three operatives ran to the hangar and boarded the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. As Hoagie took his usual spot in the pilot's seat, he remembered how Abby had given him permission to continue being the team pilot, even though leaders didn't normally get to fly their own ships.

"Man, I still can't believe she actually changed a rule for me." He thought to himself. He started missing her again, and having flashbacks to the day she promoted him to leader. "She must really have a lot of faith in me. But why?"

"Numbuh 2! Would ya take off already?!"

Hoagie's train of thought was suddenly derailed by Wally's impatient shouting.

"Oh uh, sorry! We're going now!"

And off they went to their destination. When they arrived, they were shocked to find the place in complete shambles.

"Oh, Numbuh 2! Thank goodness you and your team are here!" Said a rather shook up Lime Ricky.

"What on Earth happened here Ricky? I need you to tell me everything."

"Well, it started out as any ordinary day, until these guys in armor suits busted in through the front door. The leader said something about the Soda Control Board and something about stopping caffeine crazy kids. His voice sounded awkward and a bit dorky. Then they ransacked the place and made off with our entire supply of soda! I wish there was something I could have done, but I'm only a bartender, I don't know nothin' about fighting."

"Hmmm, Soda Control Board, dorky voice... I don't suppose you'd let us take a look at the security camera footage?"

"I don't know if it'll help you guys very much, but okay."

Ricky then led Numbuhs 2, 3 and 4 to a back room, rewound the camera footage, and allowed the three operatives to watch the attack. Suddenly Kuki spotted something.

"Hey, that's the guy who hurt my little Bradley!"

Hoagie looked closer at the teen on the monitor, thinking that Kuki might be on to something.

"Hey Ricky, could you stop the tape and zoom in on that guy right there?"

Ricky did as he was asked, and Hoagie was surprised at what he saw.

"Well shave my head and call me Numbuh 1! Numbuh 3's right!"

"You know that guy?" Ricky asked.

"Heck yeah we do! He gave Numbuh 3 and I quite a hassle a while back. Well guys, it looks like we've discovered our soda thief! Now we just gotta track him down and take back what's ours! Thanks for your help Ricky, I owe ya one! Kids Next Door, back to the treehouse! Hey, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!"

The team returned to the treehouse to do a satellite scan, and it wasn't long before it picked up a large supply of soda being stored in a warehouse in a derelict industrial district. Hoagie downloaded the coordinates and off the team went to their next destination. The area was very dark and foggy with an eerie green glow in the night sky. Due to the poor visibility, Hoagie landed the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. on what he thought was solid ground, but turned out to be a swampy mixture of mud and tar.

"Uh oh, I think we're sinking!" Said Kuki.

"Oh crud, get us out of here!" Shouted Wally.

"I'm trying!! Grrrr... ugh, it's no use! The engines are clogging! Everybody out!"

The trio escaped the sinking airship and could only watch as it sunk deeper into the swamp.

"Man, where's Yoda when you need him?" Hoagie said to himself.

"So, what do we do now? Abort the mission?" Wally asked.

"No, we have to go on, especially if we want to prove that we've still got it in us. And besides, you wouldn't want Numbuh 363 to hear that an important mission was "Too hard for the famous Sector V", would you? We'd never hear the end of it!" Said Hoagie.

"Good point." Wally replied.

And so, they continued to traverse the former industrial district which was now just a wasteland full of abandoned buildings that were falling apart. The gloomy atmosphere gave them all an eerie feeling that was soon made worse by the sound of rustling nearby. The three kids drew their weapons and watched in fear as a small figure approached them, which was none other than...

"NUMBUH 363?!" Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 all shouted at once.

"Well duh! Let me guess, you three cowards probably thought I was some kind of swamp monster that was gonna attack ya or something!"

"Uh, no, of course not! Heh heh. But anyway, what the crud are you doing here squirrel teeth?!" Said Wally.

"Going after the soda thief of course!" Harvey arrogantly replied. "It's not like you has-beens can do anything right anymore! I just saw what happened to your ship!"

"Now you wait just a minute!" Hoagie intervened.

"You were not assigned to this mission! This is our job!"

"Hey, it ain't my fault the supreme leader was too stupid to assign the right sector. So I thought I'd just take matters into my own hands for the sake of mission success."

"Rrrr, YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT NUMBUH 5!!!"

"Why? You love her or something?"

"What?! N-no! Of course n-not! Look, just stay out of this, ok?"

Harvey just watched as 2, 3, and 4 walked away. He had that usual sinister look on his face, which always meant he was scheming something. But meanwhile, over in the main warehouse, Lieutenant Seltzer and his henchmen were celebrating their latest successful heist.

"Congratulations men! We are one step closer to stopping caffeine crazed kids! Not to mention we now have enough soda for our little experiment. I'm finally beginning to accomplish what Mr. Fizz never could, and when he finds out, I'm sure he's gonna give me a nice big promotion! Oh he's gonna be so proud! We should work on finding a more secure place to store our stash, but in the meantime, I don't think any kid, or Kid Next Door for that matter, would even think to look here in this dumpy ghost town. Most kids would be too scared to come anywhere near a place like this. But just in case those KND brats would end up finding us, I have guards scattered throughout the area, so we should be fine."

Meanwhile outside, Hoagie and his team were walking through one of the abandoned buildings.

"Ooooh, this place is so scary! I wish I had my I'm-Scared-Of-The-Dark-Rainbow Monkey!"

"Oh enough with the stupid Rainbow Dorkies!"

"Would you two hush?! Abandoned places like these are usually crawling with teenagers, and we don't need to be drawing attention to ourselves!"

They started up a long flight of stairs, and eventually ended up on the rooftop.

"What are we doing up here? I thought we were supposed to be looking for soda!" Said an impatient Wally.

"I thought if we were up high, it would be easier to spot suspicious activity." Hoagie replied. He then got out a pair of binoculars and started looking around. He spotted one building out in the distance that had lights on in the windows. He then noticed a few guards at the entrance, and a few more patrolling the area.

"I betcha that's the place. Now we just need to sneak inside. It shouldn't be too hard if we stay out of sight and use our S.N.E.E.D.L.E.S. to put those guards to sleep. Then we can get inside, capture Seltzer, and the soda is as good as ours! Follow me!"

Hoagie jumped off the building and activated his jet sneakers to slow his fall before reaching the ground. The others did the same and followed their leader, quietly sneaking around the various guards until they made it to their target. Hoagie signaled Kuki, and she got out the S.N.E.E.D.L.E.S. and skillfully shot one at each guard, putting them to sleep. Then they ran right through the entrance and found just they guy they were after.

"Hey fizzbrain! Long time no see! Remember us?"

"You! How did you brats get past my patrollers?!"

"You really oughta get yourself some better guards, those guys are out there sleepin' on the job!" Said Hoagie as he winked and held up the S.N.E.E.D.L.E. shooter.

"No matter, I've still got some left! GET 'EM GUYS!!"

"Numbuh 3, Numbuh 4, you deal with the guards, I'll get Seltzer!"

Hoagie took off after Seltzer, and even though he had to stop to catch his breath now and then, he eventually caught up to him and cornered him.

"Hold it right there Seltzer!" Hoagie shouted before pulling out a 2x4 tech weapon and using it to shoot a net at Seltzer. Seltzer then became tangled in the net and unable to escape.

"You won't get away with this you cola crazy brat!"

"Oh, I think I already have. My teammates are dealing with your henchmen, and now all I gotta do is call Global Command to bring me another ship, and before you can say root beer, I'll be taking your miserable butt to the arctic prison, while the rest of the KND celebrate another victory with, you guessed it, soda! As Numbuh 5 would say: man, this was too easy!"

Unfortunately, Hoagie didn't get to enjoy his triumph for very long before an unwelcome guest showed up.

"Let him go Numbuh 2! I'm taking him in!"

"Not a chance Numbuh 363! I told you to stay out of this! This is my job, and my chance to prove to the KND, and to Numbuh 5 that I can be a leader!"

"You and your sector have been on top for long enough! Now it's my turn!"

Suddenly Harvey shoved Hoagie aside and attempted to apprehend Seltzer. Hoagie retaliated and the two of them ended up in a confrontation against each other.

"Let's just find out who the better kid is, shall we? If you want the credit for this mission, then you're gonna have to fight for it!"

"This is stupid Harvey! Why can't we just work together and share the credit? We're both supposed to be on the same side! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish capturing Seltzer before he gets... away? AAGGHH, now look what you've done! He's gone!"

Suddenly, what felt like an earthquake shook the building, and a giant robot came crashing through the wall. And inside the top of the robot was Lieutenant Seltzer.

"Ha ha ha ha! How do ya like my brand new robot? There were more than enough spare parts laying around this old factory to build this bad boy! And it's powered by none other than your precious soda!"

"Ugh, why does there ALWAYS have to be a stupid freaking giant robot?! Are you villains seriously that out of ideas?!" Hoagie shouted.

The robot then blasted Hoagie and Harvey with soda, sending them against opposite walls.

"HA HA HA HA!! With this foolproof robot, I'm going to stop kids from illegally drinking soda, WITH soda!! A much better use for caffeine and fizz I'd say!" Shouted Seltzer.

As Hoagie recovered from nearly being knocked out, he looked up and noticed that the soda fuel tank on the back of the robot was building up a dangerous amount of pressure.

"Uh oh, the robot's motor is stirring up too much fizz! It's gonna explode! I gotta think fast... huh?"

Hoagie looked down and noticed a can of some kind of carbonated drink laying next to his feet. He picked it up and read the label.

"Hmmm, Red Buffalo, now with more caffeine than espresso. I have no idea what espresso is, but what the heck. Bottoms up!"

He drank the energy drink, and immediately felt the extreme amount of caffeine kick in. He became wide eyed and very twitchy. "WHOA!! I'VE NEVER FELT SO GOOD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!" He shouted before zooming around the room as a blue and brown blur, running at a speed that would rival Sonic The Hedgehog. "WHOO!!!! I CAN SEE WHY TEENS ARE SO ADDICTED TO THIS STUFF!!" Then he abruptly stopped. "Hey wait, what was I doing? Oh yeah, the robot!"

"What the crud is going on in here?! And where did that robot come from?!" Asked Wally as he entered the room alongside Kuki.

"Guys quick, drink this, then grab those ropes over there and help me tie up the robot! One of us has to get up on its back and cut the fuel line before it explodes! Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!!!... hee hee, I've always wanted to say that!"

Kuki and Wally drank what was left of the energy drink, and soon they were blurs as well. 2, 3, and 4 each grabbed a rope and wrapped it around the robot, then hanging on to the other ends of the ropes, the three of them used every ounce of their caffeine induced super strength to hold the robot in place.

"It's gonna take all three of us to hold this guy still! If only we had one more... wait, that's it! Numbuh 363, I need you to climb up onto the robot and cut the fuel line! Hurry! We don't have much time left!"

"And why should I listen to you, fatso?! You're not the boss of me!"

"This is no time for your attitude! Just do it! Before it's too late! This mission is depending on you now!"

"Oh, so NOW you need my help?"

"YES!! WE CAN'T HOLD ON MUCH LONGER!!"

Then the ropes snapped.

"Oh great! If you want anything done, ya gotta do it yourself." Hoagie said as he sprang up and ricocheted off the walls and various objects before finally ending up on the back of the robot. He grabbed onto the fuel line, pulled out a large file, and started to saw at the line as the tank built up more pressure.

"Oh no you don't!" Said Seltzer as the robot threw Hoagie off of its back.

"Seltzer, you don't understand! The robot is about to blow! You can't use soda as a fuel source! It's too unstable!"

Seltzer refused to listen to Hoagie's pleading, and seconds later, the robot was on the verge of exploding.

"Why me?" Hoagie asked.

Then the entire warehouse blew up in a giant explosion of fizz, sending everyone shooting up toward the sky, then falling into the flood of soda down below. 2, 3, 4, 363, and Seltzer all grabbed onto pieces of the wreckage and rode the tidal wave of soda until it finally came to a stop.

"NO NO NO!! I was supposed to get the soda back! And now it's all destroyed! Global Command is gonna have my head for this! Well, maybe I could still at least capture Seltzer and accomplish half of my mission..."

Then Seltzer activated a soda powered jet pack and fled the scene. "Don't think this is over! I'll be back, and I WILL get that promotion so Mr. Fizz will finally respect me!" He shouted as he disappeared into the gloomy night sky.

"Well, what a disaster huh? What do you think the supreme leader is gonna think when she finds out you blew your first mission as Sector leader? Ha ha, quite literally!"

"ME?! I'm not the one responsible for this!! I was following my orders and everything was going smoothly... well, except for our ship sinking... until you decided to come along and ruin everything! This was OUR job, not yours!"

"Well it's not my fault you're such a lousy leader!"

"What do you know about being a leader?!"

"A whole lot more than you!"

"You're wrong! You don't anything about being a TRUE leader!!... look, the supreme leader once told me that the most important part of being a leader is looking out for your friends. You don't even know how to do that, or how to work with anyone. All you care about is being the best, even if you have to push others down to get there. You see, Numbuh 1 was a great example of a true leader; he always put us before himself. He cared about us more than anything and loved us like we were family. He had the selflessness, the courage, and the strong will. He was everything that every KND operative aspires to be. Including myself. Let me ask you something Harvey, would you ever put your team's needs above your own? Would you ever risk your own life to save a friend's?"

Harvey just stood with his arms crossed, not responding.

"Hmph, no comment huh? And that's why the Galactic Kids Next Door picked Numbuh 1, and not you. Man, why am I even wasting my time talking to you? You'll never understand anyway. But mark my words, Harvey. Eventually your bad attitude will come back to bite you."

And with that, Hoagie walked away. He regrouped with his teammates, and they started on the long walk home when Hoagie's communicator rang.

"Um... hello?" He said sheepishly.

"Well uh... you see uh..."

"TODAY PLEASE!!"

"We don't have the soda... it all got... a little... blown up."

"Blown up?! So it's all gone?!"

"Yes."

"But what about Seltzer?"

"Um... he got away."

"Ha! I knew you'd fail the mission! But did Numbuh 5 listen to me? NO! The three of you better get your sorry butts up to the moonbase and explain what happened ASAP!"

"Um, ok. But there's just one teensy little problem with that."

"WHAT NOW?!!"

"Our ship is no longer in... working order, so we will need that transportation."

"Oh fine!... stupid boy, dumber than a sack of doorknobs..."

"I heard that!"

"Oopsie!"

Numbuh 86 then hung up, and sent someone to pick up Sector V and take them to the moonbase. The three of them mentally braced themselves for the scolding they knew they were going to get upon explaining the situation. When they got to the moonbase, Hoagie cringed as he overheard Numbuh 86 laughing at him.

"Ha ha ha! I've never seen such a miserably failed mission in my entire life! Numbuh 2 should just resign already."

Minutes later they were escorted to a large room where supreme leader Numbuh 5 was waiting for them. They saluted their former teammate.

"You guys don't need to salute Numbuh 5 every time you see her ya know." Abby said to her friends. "But as for the subject at hand, I was told about what happened and I am very disappointed with how things turned out. I thought this mission would be easy for you guys."

"Hey, this wasn't our fault! Everything was going along just fine until beaver teeth showed up and interfered!" Said Wally.

"Wait a second... Numbuh 363? I didn't assign him to this mission."

"EXACTLY!! He just showed up and thought he would take over because he was "So much better than us." Then there was this giant robot, and I already had a battle strategy planned out, but 363 refused to help us! And because of him, the mission was completely ruined! I can't take this kind of humiliation, so if he's going to continue to butt in on our missions, then I quit!" Hoagie shouted.

"Whoa, just calm down baby. Numbuh 5 will have a word with him."

Abby then got her communicator out of her pocket and called Sector W. Sonia, A.K.A Numbuh 83 answered, and Abby told her to tell Harvey to come to the moonbase right away. Before long, Harvey found himself in the midst of the supreme leader and a rather disgruntled Sector V.

"Yeah, what? I was busy."

"I don't care. I want to know who you thought you were just "taking over" a mission like that. You may have gotten away with this kind of stuff when your big sister was the supreme leader, but guess what? She ain't leader no more, and Numbuh 5 is not going to put up with this kind of disrespect and rule breaking! And if you pull anything like this again, I'll have no choice but to take disciplinary action."

Harvey said nothing and just turned to walk away, but failed to notice that his shoes had come untied. He tripped and fell causing Kuki to spring into action.

"Oh, let me help you!" She said as she took his hand and helped him up.

"Rrrr, don't touch me... DON'T EVER TOUCH ME!!" Harvey shouted as he pushed Kuki. She fell backwards, landing on her backside. Seconds later she began to cry, which upset Wally. He ran over to her and immediately put his arms around her, not even caring about what anyone else thought.

"You... YOU CRUDDY JERK!! How could you do this after she just helped you?!" Wally shouted while on the verge of tears himself. "It's ok Kuki." He said as she hugged him back.

"Well, I keep telling people not to touch me."

Abby had seen just about enough. "That's it! Numbuh 363, you are hereby scheduled for immediate decommissioning!"

Everyone else in the room gasped in shock.

"WHAT?! You can't decommission me! I'm nowhere near 13!"

"I'm not decommissioning you because of your age fool! I'm decommissioning you because of your bad attitude! Numbuh 86, take him away."

Numbuh 86 and a few of her helpers came in and took Harvey to the decommissioning chamber. Of course he didn't go without a fight, but once the deed was done, everyone felt a sense of relief. Especially Hoagie, who would no longer have to deal with the trouble Harvey had always caused his sector. He knew his job as leader would be less stressful now. And thanks to Wally's comforting, Kuki was also back to her cheerful self. As for the soda issue, Abby assigned another sector to track down Lieutenant Seltzer for the time being. Once things settled down, Hoagie decided to pay his commander a little visit before going home.

"Hey, have a minute?" He asked Abby at the open doorway of her office.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I was wondering, how come you decommissioned Numbuh 363? Sure he was a jerk and stuff, but I'm really surprised you took such a drastic measure."

"Because Numbuh 2, it's my job to think about what's best for the organization. We can't have operatives like him jeopardizing missions, breaking rules, and refusing to be a team player. Teamwork is the backbone of the KND, it's what keeps us strong. We make up for each other's weaknesses, and enhance each other's strengths. That's why field operatives are grouped together into sectors. He only wanted to work against everyone else so he could have all the glory, and your team is not the only one he's been interfering with. Not to mention his little problem with being touched! I did what was best for everyone. Yes I felt a little guilty, but it was for the best."

"I agree with you, I was just curious. And I'm really sorry for how the mission turned out. I still don't know if I'm right for this. I feel like the entire organization is staring at me, just waiting for me to screw up."

"Don't worry, every leader has their missions that don't go so well. We're only human, mistakes and failures happen. Numbuh 1 is looked at as the best operative since Numbuh Zero, but he made mistakes and failed missions too. You'll do better with your next mission, trust me."

Hoagie smiled at Abby, letting her know that her words had encouraged him.

"Well, I better get going. 3 and 4 are probably waiting for me. And I need a bath to get all this sticky soda off me. Thanks for everything."

"Anytime."

TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The Dark Side Of The Moon

CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED. CONTINUING TRANSMISSION...

A week passed since the eventful night of Harvey's decommissioning, and Sector V was enjoying the time off that Abby had given them. The sun was setting as Hoagie was heading out to the balcony to enjoy the evening. And once again, Wally took it upon himself to check up on the auburn haired pilot.

"You're starin' at the moon again, ain't ya loverboy?"

"What, no!... well kinda. You see, there's going to be an eclipse soon, and I wanna see it... cuz they're cool and stuff."

"Yeah sure! You just wanted to see the... the uh... what the crud is... whatever you said..."

"An eclipse. It's when the Earth casts a shadow on the moon and makes it look all dark and red colored. You know, I've always wondered what an eclipse looks like from on the moon. I bet it's really cool and... hey, I know! I think I'll go up to the moonbase so I can find out! And it's meatball sandwich night, so what the heck! You guys wanna come?"

"Nah, Yipper's about to start."

"Suit yourself."

Meanwhile up on the moonbase, the shadow spy was calling their boss with another mission update.

"Well, still no luck getting any information out of the operatives up here. It seems like they don't even know."

"Then that moonbase is of no use to me. You may commence with the plan. But first, you can discuss our little deal with the supreme leader."

"Affirmative."

Meanwhile, Hoagie had just arrived on the moonbase. He went straight to the cafeteria and got himself an extra large meatball sandwich. He was looking for a good seat when he bumped into someone.

"Hey watch it... Numbuh 2?!"

"Numbuh 5 sir, I mean m'am, I mean, I'm really sorry!"

"Oh knock it off, we've been friends for years. You don't have to act like this every time you're around me just 'cuz I'm supreme leader!"

"Um... ok, if you say so heh heh. Wanna find a seat?"

The two found a vacant seat and sat next to each other. Abby started to eat, but Hoagie was suddenly more interested in chatting.

"Hey uh, we really miss having you with us down on Earth. It just hasn't been the same without you."

"Numbuh 5's been missing you guys too. Where are the others?"

"Oh, they wanted to stay home and watch their shows. I came here to get a sandwich and to watch the eclipse. I've always wanted to see one from on the moon."

"Hmmm, you wanna see something really cool?"

"Sure!"

Abby then led Hoagie through a series of long winding hallways and up on a moving floor platform until they made it to a massive room that was shaped like a dome and had no walls, only windows. This room provided a beautiful view of space, and a direct view of Earth.

"Whoa, I had no idea this was here! I haven't seen much of the moonbase since it was rebuilt after the whole thing with Numbuh Zero. This is just... beautiful!"

"It is isn't it? And look at that, the eclipse is just starting!"

They watched as the Earth began to slowly move over the sun and block out its light. Hoagie was astonished by the view, but he still had something weighing on his mind.

"Like I was saying, this is really beautiful and all, but I still wish you were with us down there instead of up here. It just seems like I keep losing people I'm close to. First my dad, then Numbuh 1, and now I don't get to see you as much. It's really bothering me lately."

"You're not the only one who's lost someone you're close to."

"What do you mean?"

"Lately I've been thinking a lot about my sister and how she used to be. We were so close, like best friends, and then she just threw all that away to go join those stupid Teen Ninjas. I see it happen all the time, good operatives going bad as soon as they turn 13. Sure, they escape and get to keep their memories of being in the KND, but those memories mean nothing to them anymore. I know I'm not going to be a kid forever, and I'm worried that I'll end up like Cree... an evil shadow of my former self."

"I don't think operatives turn evil just because they turn 13. 13 is just a number. As for people like your sister, I'm sure that becoming evil was their own conscious decision. So you can decide not to become like them."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. But I still miss the days when Cree and I were allies instead of enemies. Wouldn't you feel the same way if Tommy turned against you?"

"Actually yeah... I never thought of that."

Not knowing what else to say, the two turned their attention to the eclipse in progress. The Earth, which looked like a huge black disk, was about halfway over the sun, and a shadow had been cast over half of the moon. The shadow hadn't reached the side where the moonbase was just yet.

"I don't think you'll ever turn evil, no matter how old you get. And I promise that I won't either." Hoagie said as he smiled reassuringly at Abby. She looked back at him and the two locked eyes. Seconds later, the Earth fully covered the sun, and the moon went dark. Then at that same moment, the entire moonbase went dark due to a sudden power outage. The only light they had left was the dim glow coming from the ring of red light around the Earth.

"Uh oh, what just happened?"

"I don't know Numbuh 5, but maybe I should go see if it's something I can help with. I'll be back!

As Hoagie left, Abby thought about following him, but stopped in her tracks when the mysterious shadow figure that had been looming around them entered the room.

"I've been watching you and your teammates."

The figure said.

"Alright, who's there? I swear, if that's you Numbuh 2, and you're playing some stupid joke on me, I'm gonna hit ya with this helmet, and that's gonna hurt a lot worse than my old hat!"

"Relax, this is no joke, and I'm not your comedic little friend. I've been wanting to talk to you one on one for quite some time."

"Well, then what are you waiting for? Get over here and show yourself!"

The spy walked over to Abby, then took the cloak off that they were wearing and was revealed to be a teen ninja with black armor and a dark red cape. The ninja then took the armor mask off of their face.

"Long time no see sis!"

"C... C... Cree?! Is that really you?! No, it can't be!"

"Pretty surprised huh? I'm working for Father now and have been watching you K.N.Dorks. I even got pretty close to that chubby friend of yours right outside of The Point. You should have seen how scared that pathetic little loser was!"

"So... It was YOU that Numbuh 2 saw that night!"

"That's right Crabigail! I was ordered to spy on you brats and to find out where Numbuh 1 and the Delightful Children are. But it seems like nobody around here knows anything about their whereabouts, not even you, and you're the supreme leader for cryin' out loud! So Father and I have no use for you, or this moonbase. Oh, and the little blackout? I did it. And without the light from the sun, everyone is scrambling around in the dark trying to figure out what the heck is going on! It's kinda funny to watch actually. Talk about perfect timing with the eclipse! Oh, and before I start destroying the place, there's something I want to offer you."

"Your surrender I hope!"

"Even better. Apprenticeship. Father and I are giving you a chance to join us."

"Are you kidding?! Absolutely not!"

"Think about it Abby, you're going to turn 13 eventually, and then you'll mean nothing to the KND anymore. So why don't you just ditch them now and come join us? Just think, you could be powerful, be fighting on a stronger team, never have to worry about being decommissioned, and best of all, we could be fighting together on the same side as sisters... just like old times. Remember the good old days when you and I were in Sector V together? When we were like inseparable friends instead of bitter enemies?Well it can be like that all over again. We can be the sisters we used to be. The sisters we should be. So what do you say?"

Cree then held out her hand to Abby. With Cree's words sinking in, Abby thought about how much she missed her big sister and how she hated having to fight against her. She wanted her back so badly, to the point where she was actually considering Cree's offer. She very slowly started to reach her hand out toward Cree's.

"Abby, stop! Don't do it! This isn't who you are!" A familiar voice cried out.

"Stay out of this Hoagie! This is between me and Abby!"

"Don't listen to her Abby! You're not like her, and you don't have to ever be! You're better than this! Like I said before, 13 is only a number; just because you turn 13, doesn't mean you have to automatically become evil! Look at Maurice, he was loyal until the very end. You can be too!"

Abby then had a flashback to Maurice's decommissioning day and remembered the dedication he showed the organization right up until the very last moment. Then she remembered how later on, she found out that he was never actually decommissioned, but was chosen to secretly remain an operative as a result of proving his loyalty.

..."And who knows, play your cards right, and you might be selected to join us on your 13th birthday!"...

Abby put her hand down and looked away from Cree. Hoagie then smiled, realizing his words had gotten through to her. But Cree wasn't so happy.

"I told you to stay out of this!"

Cree picked Hoagie up by the front of his shirt so they were practically face to face and looked him in the eyes. Normally this would be the kind of situation where he would start his usual flirting, but this time was different. As he looked into her eyes, he saw such anger, such evil that it actually frightened him and sent chills through his whole body. For the first time, he was seeing her for what she truly was instead of the fantasized idea of her he had always had.

"You think you can change her mind? Well you can't! I'm her sister! And what are you? A fat clumsy pathetic loser! And that's all you'll ever be!"

She placed him back on the floor while shoving him a little. He fell backwards and looked up at her with fear in his eyes.

"Ha ha, you should see yourself shaking! And you should have seen your expression that night at the Point! You're such a coward! I can't believe Abby thought you could be a leader. I thought she was smarter than that."

Abby was watching the whole thing, and she did not like was she was seeing.

Cree then aimed her wrist weapon at Hoagie and was about to fire it when Abby jumped in front of him to protect him.

"No! Leave him alone!"

"Excuse me?"

"I said leave him alone! He's right, I'm not evil like you, and I won't ever be! I don't care if you're my sister! The Cree I know and love is long gone! I will never betray the organization that has given me the best years of my life, and has allowed me to meet the best friends a kid could ever ask for!"

"Oh come on, you wouldn't betray your own sister would you?"

"You already betrayed yours! The answer is no! Not to mention I ain't 13 yet! Numbuh 5 still has a couple more years left!"

"Fine. Have it your way. You want to be loyal to the end huh? Well guess what? You've already succeeded at that, because this IS the end!"

Suddenly Cree became a black silhouette with glowing yellow eyes, much like Father. She then wielded flames on both of her hands.

"So Crabigail, what do you think of the new powers Father gave me? Pretty cool huh? You could have had powers just like these if you had only joined us, but no! You wanted to stay with those Losers Next Door! Well that decision is going to be the end of you along with the rest of the KND!"

Cree then ran off.

"Come on Numbuh 2! We have to stop her!"

But Hoagie, who was still down on the floor, was petrified by not only Cree's harsh words, but the insults he had received from many others as well. Their voices echoed like recordings in his mind.

..."Ha ha ha! I've never seen such a miserably failed mission in my entire life! Numbuh 2 should just resign already."...

..."What are you? A fat clumsy pathetic loser, and that's all you'll ever be!"...

..."You're such a coward! I can't believe Abby thought you could be a leader."...

"I... I can't. I'm sorry Numbuh 5. Go on without me."

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Just go! I'll find my own way out. There's no reason for you to drag me along."

"That's not true."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, none of those things Cree said about you being a coward and a loser are true. You told me not to let her get to me, but then you let her get to you!"

"You're right, you'll never be Numbuh 1 because you're Numbuh 2! You're not supposed to be Nigel, you're supposed to be yourself!"

"Oh sure, my stupid cowardly self! At least Nigel never felt any fear when facing his enemies!"

"You're wrong! Everyone feels fear. Even Nigel did! Seriously Hoagie, you need to stop always trying to be something or someone you're not! Stop trying to be Nigel! Stop trying to be "Hank" or whatever you called yourself that time you got turned into a teen! These people are not who YOU are! I just want you to be you; to be Hoagie Gilligan. Flaws and all."

Hoagie looked up at Abby, and saw her holding her hand out to him with the most sincere look in her eyes, much like the night at the Point. It was the complete opposite of what he saw in Cree's eyes, and it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. All of a sudden, it was like everything finally made sense, like he was finally realizing something he had been blind to for so long. He never had to act cool or smooth to impress her. She always liked him just the way he was. He took her hand and she helped him up. Then at the same time, they both leaned forward until their lips met. Later when they pulled apart, they were both a little surprised at what just happened.

"Wow... that was WAY better than the time Cree kissed me!"

"Oh no, we totally forgot about Cree! We better hurry before she destroys the moonbase! So baby, you feel up to a mission now?"

"Right behind you!"

The two ran down the long dark hallways, trying not to bump into anything.

"Where is everyone Numbuh 5? This place should be crawling with operatives."

"They must have all evacuated."

"Evacuated? Over a power outage? There's gotta be more to this."

As they ran through the dark hallway, they soon saw a dull orange glow that gradually got brighter. When they reached the end of the hallway, they realized the light was coming from a raging fire. Since they couldn't continue that way, they turned back the way they came, but got cut off by fire again. They ran back to the middle of the hallway and through a door that led to a large stadium-like room. Suddenly, all the doors flew shut, blocking them inside, then a huge ring of fire circled around them. The two kids hugged each other tightly in fear as the black silhouette of Cree approached them.

"What's the matter? Too hot for you babies to handle?"

Hoagie was terrified and was clinging to Abby for dear life. Abby was nervous, but doing her best not to show it even though she had her arms around Hoagie as well.

"HAHAHAAA!! Soon this moonbase will be reduced to ashes! And that will only be the beginning of our master plan to finally end the Kids Next Door! Tell me, are you... afraid?"

The two kids hugged even tighter.

"Of course you are! And you should listen to your fears! Let them lead you back to the safety of your mommy's arms!"

As Abby watched Cree, she noticed that she was just pacing around trying to intimidate her and Hoagie instead of fighting them, and the more she did it, the brighter her silhouette suit would glow. Finally Abby put two and two together.

"Numbuh 2, stop being afraid!" Abby whispered.

"What?! How can I NOT be afraid? I'm scared for our lives!"

"I am too, but we have to fight it! Her black suit is absorbing power from our fear, and the more we give in to it, the stronger she's becoming!"

Abby stood up, and faced her sister.

"Hey Cree, your stupid powers don't scare us!"

"Oh really? How about NOW?!!" Cree shouted as the flames on her body intensified.

Abby stood her ground, and noticed Cree's power become slightly weaker. At this point, Cree realized she was in a bit of trouble. Suddenly Hoagie cut in.

"Hey! L-leave Abby alone!"

"Beat it loser! I've had about enough of you!"

"N-no! I'm not afraid of you!"

Hoagie was trying hard to be brave, but the truth was that he was still terrified. Cree knew that too, and it was keeping her power strong. As she slowly approached him, he kept backing away. Then Abby snuck up behind her and attempted to attack, but Cree pushed her away and trapped her in a cage of flames.

"Okay then, since you're my sis, I guess I will give you one last chance. You either surrender now and join me, or be destroyed!"

"No! I told you, I'll never betray the Kids Next Door! And I'll never betray Hoagie!"

"Fine, guess this is goodbye then."

Then Hoagie cut in again.

"Stop! You monster! How can you do this to your own little sister?! My little brother drives me insane, but there's no way I would ever do anything to hurt him! And if you want to hurt Abby, you'll have to go through me first!"

"No problem, taking you out should be quick and easy."

Cree pulled out a staff and covered it in flames. Hoagie found a metal pole lamp and held it as his weapon, and the two ended up in a lightsaber style sword fight. Hoagie was doing good at blocking each of Cree's swings, but he was quickly running out of energy. He slowed down allowing Cree to knock him to the floor.

"Pfff, what a weakling. Can't even fight."

As Hoagie laid on the floor catching his breath, he was half tempted to just accept defeat. But then he glanced over and noticed Numbuh 1's sunglasses which had been knocked off his head when he fell.

"Numbuh 1 wouldn't give up... and neither should I!"

He got up and placed the sunglasses back on his head.

"And I can't let Numbuh 5 down!"

Then he picked up his lamp weapon.

"Hey matchstick! I'm not finished with you!"

"Wow, ready for another butt kicking already?"

"Bring it on!"

With his second surge of adrenaline, Hoagie faced off against Cree a second time. Soon they were holding their staffs with both hands and pushing them against each other in a battle of strength.

"You should have just stayed in your little treehouse kid!"

Hoagie struggled with every ounce of strength in his body, but Cree was on the verge of overpowering him.

"Why do you keep fighting me? You know you can't win!"

"Rrrrrrr... because... I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE!!!"

Then Hoagie swung his arms and knocked Cree's staff out of her hands. While she was distracted, he kicked her, causing her to fall flat on her back.

"I mean it this time Cree! I'm done being afraid of you and your stupid powers! And I was such an idiot to ever have feelings for you! You're one of the most evil people I've ever met! At least your sister actually has a heart!"

Cree's powers sharply weakened.

"Well? You gonna come and fight me? Or are you not tough enough without the power from that stupid suit thing?!"

Cree got up and lunged at Hoagie, but he leaped out of the way.

"What's the matter teenager? Slowing down in your old age?"

Becoming infuriated, Cree used what was left of her power to make a fireball and shoot it at Hoagie. He backflipped over it, then spotted a fire extinguisher. He grabbed it and used it to put out the flame cage Abby was trapped in.

"Great shot! Now it's two against one! Let's do this!" Shouted Abby as she joined Hoagie's side. The two ran around taunting Cree and confusing her as to which one to go after. She eventually decided to go after Hoagie since he was annoying her the most.

"Hey stupid! Nah nah nah-nah nah!!" He teased.

She kept shooting fireballs at him, but he dodged every one. While Hoagie distracted Cree, Abby snuck behind her again and managed to partially rip the suit off of her.

"What the... YOU!!" Cree angrily shouted.

But what they all had failed to notice until now was that the fire in the room had been spreading, and now the room was on the verge of collapse. Hoagie finally noticed and ran off, but Abby wanted to try one last time to talk some sense into her sister.

"Cree! We have to get out of here! Come with me!"

No response.

"Look, I don't want us to be like this anymore. I just want things to go back to the way they were. If you just surrender and come with me, I'll even forget about decommissioning you."

Still no response.

"Please just answer me! We're running out of time!"

As the fire spread even more, the room began to collapse. Abby and Cree were trapped and had no way of escaping. Just when Abby though she was done for, Hoagie, who had found a F.L.A.P.P.U.H, swooped down and grabbed her, flying her out of harm's way.

"Hoagie wait! Cree's still in there!"

"So?!"

"I know she's evil, but she's still my sister!"

"I'm sorry Abby, but it's too late. I have to get YOU out of here! If I can find the power generator room and get the power back on, the automatic sprinkler system will come on and put the fires out before the moonbase gets damaged any more than it already is. But like I said earlier, I hardly know how to get around in here, so I need you to guide me because I'm totally lost right now."

As Hoagie flew through the moonbase, Abby directed him through the mazes of long winding hallways. Before long, they arrived at the power generator room, which unfortunately, was also on fire. They found a couple more extinguishers and put enough of the fire out that Hoagie was able to make it over to the generators. He worked as fast as he could to fix the damage and even got electrocuted a couple times. But before long, the generators came on and so did the sprinkler systems, and the fires were put out.

"YES!! We did it Abby!... Abby?"

Abby had vanished. Hoagie made his way through the moonbase, got a bit lost a couple times, but eventually made it back to the observation deck where they had been before things went downhill. Sure enough, there was Abby.

"There you are!"

"Hoagie? How'd you find me?"

"I dunno, male intuition I guess. What are you doing here?... Abby?"

She remained silent.

"Hey, I'm really sorry I couldn't save your sister. I wanted to save you, and I didn't figure she would cooperate anyway. If you hate me now, I understand."

She still didn't respond, so he slowly walked up to her and faced her. He put his arms around her, hoping to give her at least a little bit of comfort.

"It wasn't your fault Hoagie." She said while hugging back.

The embrace lasted for what felt like forever as the Earth finally moved away from the sun and the sun's light returned. Abby called the other moonbase operatives back, explained what happened, and the cleanup began. Fortunately, only a small portion of the moonbase had been damaged, so they all knew it wouldn't take too long to fix the place up. As Hoagie was helping to clean up the burnt wreckage, he found something interesting.

"Hey Abby, look at this!" He said as he handed her an object that looked like a metal ball with a button on it. She pressed the button, and it activated a hologram of Cree with a recorded message.

"If you kids are watching this, then I'm sure you think you've seen the last of me. Well trust me, it's gonna take a lot more than a burning treehouse to do me in. Better watch your backs!"

Abby and Hoagie just looked at each other.

I don't know about you, but Numbuh 5 thinks that if Cree survived all that, then her power came from more than just that suit.

TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Confession

CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED. CONTINUING TRANSMISSION...

Days later, Hoagie was still a bit shook up by the events at the moonbase, but with Wally and Kuki's help, he was beginning to loosen up and regain his goofy and cheerful disposition. Although in the back of his mind, he really wanted to talk to Abby, but she had been so busy overseeing the cleanup and repairs on the damaged parts of the moonbase. He was also nervous about talking to her because of what had happened between them that eventful night. He wanted so badly to ask someone for advice, but there was no way he was going to tell Kuki or Wally about what happened. After all, they wouldn't help him, they would just tease him about it. So the thoughts just ate at poor Hoagie's mind as he stood in his usual spot on the balcony.

"Is it really possible that Abby... likes me? Would someone as cool and good looking as her really go for someone like me? Sure, she kissed me, but was it just a heat of the moment thing? Does she really..."

"Hey Numbuh 2! Whacha doin'?" Asked Kuki.

"Aahh! Oh heh, nothing much."

"Why do you always stand out here? Don't you get lonely?"

"Well, it's just that I've had a lot on my mind lately with being leader, and with everything that's been going on. It's not that I'm avoiding you guys, or don't want to hang out, it's just that spending time alone helps me to get my racing thoughts in order."

"Whatever you say. But why don't you come inside for a little while? We're having nachos and ice cream!"

"Sounds great, but I'm not really hungry. I think I'm gonna go see how things are going on the moonbase and if I can help out. I also need to ask someone about something. See you guys later. Oh, and save me some chocolate ice cream! Don't let Numbuh 4 hog it all again!"

"Okay. Well, see ya later."

Later when Hoagie arrived on the moonbase, Numbuh 86 approached him.

"Hey, Numbuh 5 told me about that fight with Cree and what you did. I guess that was... somewhat impressive."

"Uh, thanks I guess."

"But I'm sure a girl would have stopped her long before she fried half the moonbase!"

"Really?! Was that necessary?!"

"You're a little low in rank to be mouthing off! So why don't you just shut up and make yourself useful for once! There's still plenty of repairs to be done!"

"I was hoping I could talk to Numbuh 5 first."

"She's busy!"

Just then, Abby walked in.

"Actually, I was just about to tell everyone to take a break. So if Numbuh 2 wants to speak with me, that's fine."

"Oh, sorry supreme leader sir, or m'am, heh heh."

As the working operatives went off to the cafeteria for their lunch break, Abby led Hoagie to her office. As it turned out, she had a little something she wanted to say as well.

"You know, your battle with Cree was really impressive."

"You mean it was more than just somewhat impressive?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh nothing, just something Numbuh 86 said."

"Come on now, did you seriously think she would actually complement you? You know how she is."

"I know haha. Um, by the way, I kinda wanted to talk to... oh never mind, it's not important."

They both could tell the other person wanted to say something, but was avoiding it. Finally Abby spoke up.

"So, ya sure you don't have feelings for Cree anymore?"

"What makes you ask that all of a sudden?"

"Reasons."

"Well, that hot-headed jerk ain't my type after all, no pun intended. And... wait, why is this important?"

"Just wondered if you're... seeing anyone."

The more Hoagie's thoughts raced, the more he caught on to her hints. He then remembered just before Abby became supreme leader, when the two of them watched Wally chicken out for the "eleventy-bahundredth" time on telling Kuki how he felt. Hoagie decided that he was not going to pull a "Numbuh 4" in this situation.

"Actually, I am!" Hoagie took a deep breath before continuing. Out of nervousness, he spoke rapidly, almost at the pace of an auctioneer.

"You see, I've always had a thing for you all along, but I kept trying to win the hearts of other girls instead because I didn't think I had a snowflake's chance in Florida with you. I was always trying to impress your sister because I thought she'd be the closest thing to you I'd even find. It never would have been the same though. I was just afraid you'd... you know... reject me. And that would have hurt far more than any of the other rejections I've dealt with."

"Well I don't think you have to worry about any of that anymore."

After a brief pause, Hoagie embraced Abby in the biggest and tightest hug he had ever given anyone in his life. After about 30 seconds, Abby became a bit flustered and a little unable to breathe. She tapped on Hoagie's back, signaling him to finally let go.

"Look, it's not that I don't like huggin' ya, let's just not go overboard with the lovey stuff, ok?"

"Oh... sorry."

"It's ok. Don't take that the wrong way."

"So, uh, Abby? Does this mean..."

"Yeah, Numbuh 5 doesn't see why not." She replied with a content smile.

"Ha ha haaa! I can't wait to see the look on Numbuh 4's pathetic face when I tell him that I beat him to it! And... hey wait a minute, if him and Numbuh 3 find out about this, then we won't be able to pick on them anymore."

"It'll be our own little secret." Said Abby as she winked and put her arm around Hoagie.

"Hey Abby, you should be arrested for theft!"

"And why is that?"

"Because you've stolen my heart!"

"I guess I'll let that one slide."

END TRANSMISSION.


End file.
